Annie Magdalene

Barbara Hanrahan, Farrin Foster

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English

PINK SHORTS PRESS
01 August 2025

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Australian Fiction

From legendary Australian feminist writer Barbara Hanrahan, Annie Magdalene is a quietly moving, funny and perfectly formed novel of a beautifully ordinary life. With a new introduction from Farrin Foster.

Born at the turn of the century, Annie Magdalene grows up in a suburban cottage in Adelaide. She is devoted to her family but makes up her mind when she is sixteen that she doesn’t want a husband or children, instead prioritising friendship, work, independence and a sense of self.

In a style that is both simple and full of wonder, legendary Australian feminist artist and author Barbara Hanrahan creates a full portrait of life – its small pleasures, its beautiful flaws, and its inevitable intersections with death.

First published in 1985, Annie Magdalene still feels entirely fresh, capturing sleepy war-era Australia as well as many universally enduring truths. With a new introduction from Farrin Foster, this is a moving, funny and perfectly formed novel of a beautifully ordinary life.

‘Quietly and gleefully challenging.’ – Farrin Foster

‘Hanrahan’s tour de force.’ – The Canberra Times

‘A small treasure.’ – Los Angeles Times

By: Barbara Hanrahan
Introduction by: Farrin Foster
Imprint: PINK SHORTS PRESS
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 5,334mm, Width: 3,429mm,
ISBN: 9781763554122
ISBN 10: 1763554120
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 01 August 2025
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Barbara Hanrahan is one of Australia’s most visionary authors and artists. Her playful and unapologetic stories and artworks centred the female experience, and her creative and personal evolutions. Hanrahan and her partner, sculptor Jo Steele, lived between Adelaide and London until her death in 1991. Despite being cut short by illness, Hanrahan’s prolific career resulted in an enormous catalogue of celebrated artworks; the National Gallery of Australia alone holds almost 500 pieces. She also published 16 books, including her debut novel, the perpetual classic The Scent of Eucalyptus. Farrin Foster is a writer, editor, journalist, and filmmaker. She is the founding editor of Splinter literary journal. She has published with mastheads like The Guardian, Kill Your Darlings and The Big Issue.